Watercraft Anchoring System

ABSTRACT

A watercraft anchoring system is a system for anchoring and preventing the drifting and movement of a small to medium-sized watercraft in a body of water. The system includes an anchor pole with an auger drill bit and a seabed-penetrating tip for embedding into the bed of the body of water. The auger drill bit assists in boring into the bed while the seabed-penetrating tip facilitates the subsequent entry of the auger drill bit and the anchor pole into the bed. A guide sleeve is utilized to hold and provide support for the anchor pole. A boat mount is utilized to secure the system to the watercraft and allows the system to be deployed, retracted, and adjusted as needed. A tensioning cable is tethered to the watercraft and to the anchor pole in order to provide stability to the system when the system is deployed.

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patentapplication Ser. No. 61/969,429 filed on Mar. 24, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an anchoring system for boatsand other watercraft. More specifically, the present invention is awatercraft anchoring system for small to medium-sized pontoon boats,fishing boats, and similar watercraft. The present invention preventsthe drifting of a watercraft due to wind or current.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many types of watercraft, regardless of size, employ the use of ananchor in order to prevent drifting in open water due to wind orcurrent. An anchor is typically utilized by embedding the anchor intothe seabed, effectively tethering the anchoring watercraft to theseabed. A conventional temporary anchor onboard a watercraft comprises ahighly dense piece of material that is attached to the watercraft via achain, a cable, a rope, or a combination of all three. The anchor itselfis often designed in a manner that facilitates the process of embeddingthe anchor (e.g. by hooking) into the seabed and preventing accidentalrelease of the anchor from the seabed. Smaller types of watercraft oftendo not require large anchors such as those found on correspondinglylarge watercraft.

The present invention is a watercraft anchoring system for use withsmall to medium-sized watercraft. The present invention is utilized toprevent a watercraft from drifting forward, backward, and side-to-sidedue to wind or current. The present invention is ideal for anchoring awatercraft close to shore as well as adjacent to other watercraft as thepresent invention is able to prevent unwanted drifting of the watercraftas well as resulting collisions. Additionally, the present invention isstraightforward to install onto a watercraft as well as to deploy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention in a retractedconfiguration.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention transitioning fromthe retracted configuration to an operative configuration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention in the operativeconfiguration.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the present invention in the operativeconfiguration.

FIG. 5 is a detail view of the present invention taken from circle A ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention mounted to a pontoon boat and in an operative configuration.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of thepresent invention mounted to a pontoon boat and in the operativeconfiguration.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of thepresent invention mounted to a pontoon boat and in the operativeconfiguration.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the present invention with a protectivecover.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention is a watercraft anchoring system that prevents asmall to medium-sized watercraft from drifting in water. The presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 1-5 and comprises an anchor pole 1, a guidesleeve 4, an auger drill bit 5, a seabed-penetrating tip 8, a boat mount9, and a tensioning cable 23.

The anchor pole 1 is a pole that may be inserted into a body of waterwhen anchoring the watercraft. The anchor pole 1 comprises a submergedend 2 and a grasping end 3. The submerged end 2 is the end of the anchorpole 1 that is placed into the water when the watercraft is anchored.The grasping end 3 is the end of the anchor pole 1 that allows the userto hold and manipulate the anchor pole 1 when placing the anchor pole 1into the water or removing the anchor pole 1 from the water. The guidesleeve 4 is a tubular sleeve that serves to both hold and guide theanchor pole 1 when anchoring the watercraft. The anchor pole 1 isslidably and rotatably engaged through the guide sleeve 4. This allowsthe user to slide the anchor pole 1 through the guide sleeve 4 in orderto insert the anchor pole 1 into or remove the anchor pole 1 from thewater. The auger drill bit 5 provides additional security againstdislodgement and movement for the anchor pole 1 within the bed of thebody of water. The auger drill bit 5 is telescopically engaged into thesubmerged end 2. As such, rotating the anchor pole 1 within the guidesleeve 4 allows the auger drill bit 5 to bore into the bed. Theseabed-penetrating tip 8 initiates insertion of the anchor pole 1 andthe auger drill bit 5 into the bed. The seabed-penetrating tip 8 isadjacently connected to the auger drill bit 5, opposite to the submergedend 2, allowing the seabed-penetrating tip 8 to penetrate the bed priorto the auger drill bit 5 and the submerged end 2. The boat mount 9 isutilized to secure the present invention to the watercraft and allowsthe present invention to be deployed or retracted as needed. The boatmount 9 is laterally positioned to the guide sleeve 4 and as such, theguide sleeve 4 is able to move relative to the boat mount 9 when thepresent invention is being deployed or retracted. The guide sleeve 4 ishingedly connected to the boat mount 9, allowing the guide sleeve 4 tobe hingedly repositioned in order to deploy or retract the presentinvention. The tensioning cable 23 provides further security againstdislodgement and movement for the anchor pole 1 within the bed of thebody of water.

The tensioning cable 23 is tethered to the anchor pole 1, adjacent tothe auger drill bit 5. The tensioning cable 23 is additionally tetheredto the watercraft, ensuring that the submerged end 2 of the anchor pole1 is secured in place and not subject to movement once embedded withinthe bed. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, thetensioning cable 23 is tethered to the anchor pole 1 via a D-ring inorder to prevent the tensioning cable from winding around the anchorpole 1 while the anchor pole 1 is rotating.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the boat mount 9comprises a base plate 10, an L-shaped bracket 11, a connecting rod 14,a first stabilizing bar 17, and a second stabilizing bar 20. The baseplate 10 is utilized to mount the components of the boat mount 9 to thewatercraft and serves as the foundation for the boat mount 9. TheL-shaped bracket 11 serves to connect the guide sleeve 4 and the anchorpole 1 to the boat mount 9. The connecting rod 14, the first stabilizingbar 17, and the second stabilizing bar 20 allow the L-shaped bracket 11,the anchor pole 1, and the guide sleeve 4 to hingedly move relative tothe base plate 10. The L-shaped bracket 11 comprises a first leg 12 anda second leg 13 that hold the guide sleeve 4 in place while allowing theposition of the anchor pole 1 to be adjusted as needed. The guide sleeve4 is integrated through the first leg 12, allowing the anchor pole 1 toslide through the first leg 12 and the guide sleeve 4 during deployment,retraction, and adjustment of the anchor pole 1.

A first end 15 of the connecting rod 14 is pivotally mounted onto thebase plate 10, allowing the connecting rod 14 to pivot about the baseplate 10 when the present invention is deployed or retracted. A secondend 16 of the connecting rod 14 is pivotally mounted to the first leg12, adjacent to the guide sleeve 4. As such, the first leg 12 is able topivot about the second end 16 of the connecting rod 14 during deploymentand retraction of the present invention. Similar to the connecting rod14, a first end 18 of the first stabilizing bar 17 and a first end 21 ofthe second stabilizing bar 20 are pivotally mounted to the base plate10. This allows the first stabilizing bar 17 and the second stabilizingbar 20 to pivot about the base plate 10 as well when the presentinvention is deployed or retracted. A second end 19 of the firststabilizing bar 17 and a second end 22 of the second stabilizing bar 20are pivotally mounted to the second leg 13. In conjunction with thefirst end 18 of the first stabilizing bar 17 and the first end 21 of thesecond stabilizing bar 20, the second end 19 of the first stabilizingbar 17 and the second end 22 of the second stabilizing bar 20 are ableto provide stability to the L-shaped bracket 11 during deployment andretraction of the present invention. The second leg 13 is positioned inbetween the first stabilizing bar 17 and the second stabilizing bar 20,allowing the first stabilizing bar 17 and the second stabilizing bar 20to stabilize the L-shaped bracket 11 from two positions.

The present invention further comprises a plurality of locking holes 24and an at least one spring-loaded nub 26. The plurality of locking holes24 laterally traverses into the anchor pole 1. The plurality of lockingholes 24 allows the position of the auger drill bit 5 within the anchorpole 1 to be adjusted utilizing the the at least one spring-loaded nub26. The plurality of locking holes 24 is evenly distributed along theanchor pole 1 in order to facilitate quick and convenient adjustment ofthe auger drill bit 5 relative to the anchor pole 1. The auger drill bitcomprises an extension shaft 6 and a screw blade portion 7. Theextension shaft 6 allows the auger drill bit to be adjusted relative tothe anchor pole 1. The screw blade portion 7 is the portion of the augerdrill bit that is able to bore into the bed of a body of water. Theextension shaft 6 is telescopically engaged into the anchor pole 1,allowing the auger drill bit to be adjusted relative to the anchor pole1. Additionally, the at least one spring-loaded nub 26 is laterallymounted to the extension shaft 6, opposite to the screw blade portion 7.This allows the at least one spring-loaded nub 26 to be used to lock theposition of the extension shaft 6 within the anchor pole. The at leastone spring-loaded nub 26 is engaged into a selected hole 25 from theplurality of locking holes, securing the auger drill bit 5 to the anchorpole 1. When the user wishes to adjust the auger drill bit 5, the atleast one spring-loaded nub 26 is disengaged from the selected hole 25.

The anchor pole 1, the guide sleeve 4, and the boat mount 9 are shown inan operative configuration in FIG. 3. When the present invention is inthe operative configuration, the present invention is able to anchor thewatercraft by embedding the anchor pole 1 into the bed of the body ofwater. The embedding process is facilitated by rotating the anchor pole1 in order to bore into the bed with the seabed-penetrating tip 8 andthe auger drill bit 5. In the operative configuration, the anchor pole 1is oriented normal to the base plate 10 and the submerged end 2 isplaced into the water, allowing the seabed-penetrating tip 8 and theauger drill bit 5 to embed into the bed. The present invention furthercomprises a pole-bracing slot 27. In conjunction with the connecting rod14, the first stabilizing bar 17, and the second stabilizing bar 20, thepole-bracing slot 27 is able to provide further security for the presentinvention when in the operative configuration in order to prevent theanchor pole 1 from becoming dislodged from the bed. The pole-bracingslot 27 laterally traverses into the base plate 10, allowing the anchorpole 1 to be positioned within the pole-bracing slot 27 and preventedfrom shifting. The pole-bracing slot 27 is positioned offset from thefirst end 18 of the first stabilizing bar 17 and the first end 21 of thesecond stabilizing bar 20. This allows the pole-bracing slot 27 tosupport the anchor pole 1 at a position that is offset from the firstend 18 of the first stabilizing bar 17 and the first end 21 of thesecond stabilizing bar 20 that is pivotally mounted to the base plate10. The pole-bracing slot 27 is laterally engaged by the guide sleeve 4,allowing the guide sleeve 4 as well as the anchor pole 1 within theguide sleeve 4 to be supported within the pole-bracing slot 27. Thefirst stabilizing bar 17 and the second stabilizing bar 20 are pressedagainst the boat mount 9 by a restraint 28 in order to prevent the boatmount 9 from becoming displaced during boat movement due to waves asshown in FIG. 3.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6-8.In the alternative embodiment, the boat mount 9 comprises a hinge 29 anda sleeve stop 32.

The hinge 29 allows the present invention to be deployed or retracted asneeded via a hinge mechanism, similar to the pivotal motion provided bythe connecting rod 14, the first stabilizing bar 17, and the secondstabilizing bar 20 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.The sleeve stop 32 functions in a similar manner as the pole-bracingslot 27 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and servesto provide support for the guide sleeve 4 and the anchor pole 1 when thepresent invention is deployed. The hinge 29 comprises a boat-fastenedplate 30 and a free plate 31 that allow the guide sleeve 4 and theanchor pole 1 to pivot about each other. As such, the boat-fastenedplate 30 and the free plate 31 are pivotally connected to each otherabout a rotation axis 33. The boat-fastened plate 30 is secured to thewatercraft while the free plate 31 is laterally connected to the guidesleeve 4, allowing the guide sleeve 4 and the anchor pole 1 to pivotabout the hinge 29. The sleeve stop 32 is offset from the rotation axis33 by a stabilization distance 34 to allow the sleeve stop 32 to providesupport for the guide sleeve 4 and the anchor pole 1 at a position thatis offset from the fixed rotation axis 33.

The anchor pole 1, the guide sleeve 4, and the boat mount 9 are shown inan operative configuration in FIGS. 6-8. In the operative configuration,the boat-fastened plate 30 and the free plate 31 are orientedperpendicular to each other as the guide sleeve 4 is orientedperpendicular to the boat-fastened plate 30 as well, allowing the anchorpole 1 to be inserted into the water. The alternative embodiment of thepresent invention further comprises a latch 35. Additionally, in thealternative embodiment of the present invention, the sleeve stop 32 is ahook 36 and a stem 37. The hook 36 is able to partially wrap and holdthe guide sleeve 4 in place when the guide sleeve 4 and the anchor pole1 are in the operative configuration. The stem 37 is mounted to thewatercraft and allows the hook 36 to be secured to the watercraft. Thelatch 35 is utilized to secure the guide sleeve 4 within the sleeve stop32 when the alternative embodiment of the present invention is in theoperative configuration. As such, the guide sleeve 4 is laterallyenclosed by the hook 36 and the latch 35. In the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, the latch 35 is spring-loaded and is pivotallymounted to the stem 37 in order to allow the user to easily secure orrelease the guide sleeve 4 from the hook 36.

The present invention further comprises a handle 38. The handle 38facilitates manual deployment, retraction, and adjustment of the presentinvention and provides a more convenient means for the user tomanipulate the present invention. The handle 38 is adjacently connectedto the grasping end 3, allowing the user to easily hold the handle 38when inserting or retracting the anchor pole 1 as well as when adjustingthe anchor pole 1 position within the guide sleeve 4.

When the present invention is not in use, the auger drill bit 5 may becontained by a protective shroud as shown in FIG. 9. The protectiveshroud prevents damage that may hinder the effectiveness of the augerdrill bit 5. Although the present invention has been explained inrelation to its preferred embodiment, it is understood that many otherpossible modifications and variations can be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A watercraft anchoring system comprises: ananchor pole; a guide sleeve; an auger drill bit; a seabed-penetratingtip; a boat mount; a tensioning cable; the anchor pole comprises asubmerged end and a grasping end; the anchor pole being slidably androtatably engaged through the guide sleeve; the auger drill bit beingtelescopically engaged into the submerged end; the seabed-penetratingtip being adjacently connected to the auger drill bit, opposite to thesubmerged end; the boat mount being laterally positioned to the guidesleeve; the guide sleeve being hingedly connected to the boat mount; thetensioning cable being tethered to the anchor pole, adjacent to theauger drill bit;
 2. The watercraft anchoring system as claimed in claim1 further comprises: the boat mount comprises a base plate, an L-shapedbracket, a connecting rod, a first stabilizing bar, and a secondstabilizing bar; the L-shaped bracket comprises a first leg and a secondleg; the guide sleeve being integrated through the first leg; a firstend of the connecting rod being pivotally mounted onto the base plate; asecond end of the connecting rod being pivotally mounted to the firstleg, adjacent to the guide sleeve; a first end of the first stabilizingbar being pivotally mounted to the base plate; a second end of the firststabilizing bar being pivotally mounted to the second leg; a first endof the second stabilizing bar being pivotally mounted to the base plate;a second end of the second stabilizing bar being pivotally mounted tothe second leg; the second leg being positioned in between the firststabilizing bar and the second stabilizing bar;
 3. The watercraftanchoring system as claimed in claim 2 further comprises: a plurality oflocking holes; at least one spring-loaded nub; the auger drill bitcomprises an extension shaft and a screw blade portion; the extensionshaft being telescopically engaged into the anchor pole; the at leastone spring-loaded nub being laterally mounted to the extension shaft,opposite to the screw blade portion; the plurality of locking holeslaterally traversing into the anchor pole; the plurality of lockingholes being evenly distributed along the anchor pole; the at least onespring-loaded nub being engaged into a selected hole from the pluralityof locking holes;
 4. The watercraft anchoring system as claimed in claim2 further comprises: wherein the anchor pole, the guide sleeve, and theboat mount are in an operative configuration; a pole-bracing slot; theanchor pole being oriented normal to the base plate; the pole-bracingslot laterally traversing into the base plate; the pole-bracing slotbeing positioned offset from the second end of both the firststabilizing bar and the second stabilizing bar; the pole-bracing slotbeing laterally engaged by the guide sleeve; the first stabilizing barand the second stabilizing bar being pressed against the boat mount by arestraint;
 5. The watercraft anchoring system as claimed in claim 1further comprises: the boat mount comprises a hinge and a sleeve stop;the hinge comprises a boat-fastened plate and a free plate; theboat-fastened plate and the free plate being pivotally connected to eachother along a rotation axis; the free plate being laterally connected tothe guide sleeve; the sleeve stop being offset from the rotation axis bya stabilization distance;
 6. The watercraft anchoring system as claimedin claim 5 further comprises: wherein the anchor pole, the guide sleeve,and the boat mount are in an operative configuration; a latch; thesleeve stop being a hook and a stem; the boat-fastened plate and thefree plate being oriented perpendicular to each other; the latch beingpivotally mounted to the stem; the guide sleeve being laterally enclosedby the hook and the latch;
 7. The watercraft anchoring system as claimedin claim 1 further comprises: a handle; the handle being adjacentlyconnected to the grasping end;